Tolbeet lanston



Patented June 7, 1887.

T. LANSTON.

FORM 0F HPB.

(No Model.)

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

TOLBERT LANSTON, OF VASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA7 ASSIGNOR, BY DIRECT AND MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO THE LANSTON TYPE MACHINE COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

FORM OF TYPE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 364,524, lated June 7, 1887.

Original application filed September 30, ISSS.

To all whom, t 11mg concern,.-

Be it known that I, 'IoLnERT LANs'roN, of AI/'ashingtoin in theDistrict of Columbia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in the Art of Forming Justified Lines of Types; and I do hereby declare the following 'to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, and to the figures and letters of reference marked thereon. i

It is well known that in ordinary composition, where common type is used, it rarely ever happens that a series of words regularly and uniformly spaced exactly fill a line of given length, the rule being that a space of greater or less length is left at the end of each line which must be filled up or absorbed by the usual process of justification-that is to say, by the introduction between the words or the several letters composing the words in the line ot' composition of additional spaces, or by the substitution of' wide for narrow spaces, or vice versa. In the practical working of this system. after each line is setup, the types composing it are required to be shifted and separated for the introduction and distribution of thejustifying space types or quads employed,- and the justification when accomplished usu ally leaves the spacing of the lines irregular, being dependent entirely upon the skill of the compositor.

The object of my invention is to produce lines of Y justified type-that is to say, lines composed of type which, when assembled, will exactly fill the line and require no shifting, justification, or manipulation whatever. This object I attain by distributing the space required to be absorbed by justification among the type in the process of formation.

I will now proceed to describe several ways of carrying my invention into practice.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a fac-simile of an impression taken from type of' standard dimensions, and of a style known as double English,77 this variety of' type being selected because of its large size and the resulting convenience in graphically representing the hereinafterdescribed modes Serial No. 178,671. Divided and this application filed July Il, 1886. Serialv'No. 207,159,

(No model.)

Vof carrying out the invention. Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic view representing an unjustified line comprising the characters shown in Fig. l, the types being shown in outline and on a scale of 2 to l. Fig. 3 is adiagrammatic view representing the Sallie characters illustrated in Figs. l and 2 justified according to what I term the percentage of-variation system. Fig. 4 is a similar view illustrating the line justified according to what I term the system of uniform variation.7 Fig. 5 is a similar view illustrating a modification of the'system shown in Fig. 4, the variation being apportioned among the' space types or quads only. Fig. 6 is a view of a portion of a form of type composed of lines produced in accordance with my invention.

Similar letters and numbers in the several figures indicate corresponding parts.

As the space between b and c represents a certain percentage of the space between a and Z1, it follows that if to each division of the space a b there be added a corresponding percentage of its width the result will be the filling out of the line. It is also truethat the distance Afrom b to c bears a fixed relation to the number of divisions of the line a b; hence if to each division is added its proportional part of the space b c the result will be, as before, the filling out of the line.

An illustration of the application of my invention by what I term the percentage-ofvariation system is represented diagrammatically in Fig. 3.

The space b c, Fig. 2, to be filled by justification is approximatelyten per cent. of the space a b; hence if there be added' to each subdivision of the space represented by the line a b or, in other words, to each of the twenty-three normal types which we have found would bc contained in said space ten per cent. of' its width-the line will be filled out or justied.

In producing types which will, when assoelated together, exactly fill out the line a c, it is therefore only necessary that they be constructed of awidth ten per cent. above thenormal. This process has been followed in the making of Fig. 3, the types there being represented, as nearly as practicable, as increased I compose the unjustified line.

5 form variation77 is represented diagrammatically in Fig. 4. In this system, instead of forming the type comprising the line of a Width increased above the normal on the percentage plan, the space to be filled by justification is Io distributed uniformly among them-that is to say, each of the types for the line is made of a Width increased above thenormal an amount equal to the space to be filled by justification divided by the number of type which would Thus, as represented in Fig. 4, each type is shown of a size increased above the normal types shown in Fig. 3 one twenty-third of the space between b c, the result being that when assembled they 2o fully occupy the line a c.

As is obvious, instead of distributing` the increase among all the types, Whether by the system of uniform variation or the percentage of increase system in the line, it may be apportioned among certain of them only-as, for eX- ample, among the space type or quads. An example of this is shown in Fig. 5, in which the space-types 2, 4, 6, S, 13, 16, and 21. are each made of a Width increased above the nor- 3o mal, as indicated in Fig. 2, one-seventh of the space b c to be filled by justiiication, the other types in the line being made of normal size.

In carrying out my invention by Whichever ofthe systems indicated it should be understood that the types for each line of composition are ing or for forming matrices for stereotype or electrotype purposes.

The variations in the width of the types referred to herein relate solely to variations in the bodies and not to the impression-faces thereof, which remain normal, and in this connection it may be stated that in the production of lines of ordinary size type the variations are so slight as to be imperceptible to the eye,while uniformity of spacing is attained in greater perfection that can be secured in ordinary handcomposition, Where justification is et'- fected by the employment of spaces or quads varying in Width and unequally distributed.

The various systems by YWhich my improved lines and forms are produced form the subjectmatter of other applications filed contemporaneously herewith and numbered, respectively, 207,156, 207,157, 207,158, and a machine competent for carrying into effect those systems forms thesubject of still another application, tiled September 30, 1,885, No. 178,671, of which this is a division. y

Having thus described my i11ventiou,what I claim as new is A form from which to print or stereotype, composed of a series of lines of matter, each consisting of a succession of separate types the bodies ofapredetermined number of which are varied as to Width from the normal and from types representing the same characters or spaces in other lines in the form, thereby rcndering. each linc self-justifying, substantially as described.

TOLBER'F L A NSTON.

VVituesses:

FRED F. CHURCH, TnoMAs DURANT. 

